You have been asked to teach a fitness class at your local community center three mornings a week. The community center weight room has 4 squat/press racks, bars, bumper plates, dumbbells and kettlebells in a range of sizes, 4 TRX units, cones, jump ropes, and a large open indoor space as well as an outdoor courtyard. You may bring in any additional equipment you would like.
Design a four-week cycle of classes in which you develop strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness in three classes per week. Provide scaling options for the different experience and fitness levels in each class. Develop this case study as you see fit, including defining your audience, describing what equipment and training style you will use, and explaining how you would deal with potential problems.
Include a table of exercises and modifications for all four weeks, as well as a narrative of how you will set up your class and the necessary considerations. Feel free to download the template below to design your case study.
Some questions that will help you design your class:
Who is your target audience?
What equipment do you plan on using?
What are your teaching strengths/weaknesses? Ie, what equipment are you comfortable using to teach strength? Can you teach specific skill such as martial arts or dance? Do you like to incorporate games into your classes?
How many people do you feel comfortable handling at one time?
What are your core exercises going to be? How can you modify or substitute them to be more or less challenging?
What is your goal for your participants? What methods/equipment are you going to use to teach your class?
What is the duration of each class? What specific components are you going to include on a daily and weekly basis?
What does your warm-up and cool-down routine look like?
What specific skills are you going to teach?
How many segments will make up your workout? (1-3 is ideal) What training methods/equipment will you use for each segment?
How will you progress your clients from week to week?
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a fitness instructor in charge of designing a four-week cycle of classes, it is important to take into consideration the target audience, equipment used, teaching strengths and weaknesses, number of participants, core exercises, modifications to make exercises more or less challenging, goals, class duration, warm-up and cool-down routine, specific skills to teach, and workout segments.
Answer:
Target Audience: The target audience for the fitness class is beginners and intermediate-level individuals who are looking to improve their overall strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. The class will also be inclusive of all ages, genders, and physical abilities.
Equipment: The equipment to be used for the class includes squat/press racks, bars, bumper plates, dumbbells, kettlebells, TRX units, cones, jump ropes, and a large open indoor space as well as an outdoor courtyard. Additionally, resistance bands and stability balls will be used to enhance the exercises.
Teaching Strengths and Weaknesses: The instructor is experienced with teaching strength exercises with the use of free weights, resistance bands, and bodyweight, as well as incorporating interval training to improve cardiovascular fitness. The instructor is also comfortable teaching specific skills such as martial arts and dance, which will be incorporated into the workout segments. However, the instructor will need to work on effectively incorporating games into the classes.
Number of Participants: The class can comfortably accommodate up to 15 participants, allowing the instructor to provide more individualized feedback and support.
Core Exercises: The core exercises for the class will include squats, lunges, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and pull-ups. Modifications can be made to these exercises to make them more or less challenging based on the participant’s fitness level.
Goals: The goal for the participants is to build overall strength and endurance while improving cardiovascular fitness. The different workout segments will help achieve these goals by targeting different muscle groups and using different training methods.
Class Duration and Components: Each class will be an hour long and will consist of a warm-up routine, three workout segments, and a cool-down routine. The workout segments will include strength training, interval training, and specific skill training with martial arts and dance.
Warm-up and Cool-down Routine: The warm-up routine will include dynamic stretching, mobility exercises, and a light jog to increase heart rate. The cool-down routine will include static stretching, foam rolling, and deep breathing exercises to help the participants cool down and recover after the workout.
Specific Skills: The specific skills to be taught will include proper form and technique for strength exercises, as well as basic martial arts and dance moves to target coordination and agility.
Workout Segments: Each class will consist of three workout segments, with each segment targeting a specific muscle group or fitness component. The training methods and equipment used will vary for each segment, including barbell exercises, TRX training, and bodyweight exercises.
Progression: Participants will progress from week to week by increasing the weight or resistance used for the exercises, increasing the duration or intensity of the interval training segments, and improving their form and technique for martial arts and dance moves.
